The Oblivion Project
by Kelsoa13
Summary: A group of subjects have been tested and experimented on. Zeus was the only one to escape all those years ago. Nicholas is going through the same things that Zeus was forced through. Until one day when another subject decides to trust him above all else.
1. The Complex

I don't own anything in this story other than the characters (other than Zeus. Don't own him either). I also don't own any of the abilities. Some, including Jacky's, Zeus's, and Nicholas's, are expressly owned by others. So, please don't sue me. Any and all reviews are appreciated. Enjoy the story.

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The Oblivion Project

The Complex

The light patter of blood falling to the dirt was the only sound in the area. Nicholas looked at the body he clutched in his right hand – or claw; however you wanted to look at it – and thought about consuming it. He sighed and simply dropped the body, knowing that to consume the corpse would result in a hellfire of magnesium antitank rounds and laser-guided sidewinder missiles directed exactly at him. He turned and walked back to his sleeping quarters. The light in the containment cell was dimming, which either meant that it was somewhere near dusk, or the researchers had had enough fun and wanted him down for a bit.

The containment cell was one of about a dozen that he knew of. It covered an area about the size of a football field, and about five stories high, but was completely enclosed. One door, at a meter thick, was the only entrance or exit. The area was rectangular, with the walls and ceiling three meters thick. The dirt, grass, and whatever else decided to grow there covered a floor also three meters thick. Nicholas had already attempted to escape, but three meters of titanium are fairly difficult to get through. That was when they added the turrets inside the containment cell. Eight Gatling guns and six sidewinder missile turrets were scattered throughout the containment area, with each one focused on Nicholas at all times. And, since the only way out of the containment cell was through the door, outside there were of course four Gatling guns and four sidewinder missile turrets about 20 meters away, pointed at all times directly at the door. The Gatling guns could lay down 6,000 antitank rounds a minute, more than enough to cut through even Nicholas. The missile turrets held two pods, each holding ten sidewinder missiles. They weren't letting Nicholas escape. Inside the containment cell the area looked like a natural park, with dirt, grass, even trees. They even had a giant light that would dim when night was supposedly coming. It seemed to be on an erratic schedule, so Nicholas assumed that the researchers studying him would use it to tell him to go to sleep.

He walked back to the sleeping quarters, which really was just an area that they had placed a cot and a battery powered light, for the books that they would occasionally give him. It was in the corner, with an overhang and an extra wall to give him some protection against the artificial rain and wind they would occasionally start up to see how it affected him. He was really hoping that today would be one of the days that they would allow him to be around the others again. It was a rare occurrence, but Nicholas looked forward to them greatly. He got to the cot, lied down, and started to read the newest book they had given him, Stephen King's "It."

"Subject Ares, please come to the door." Nicholas looked at the speaker in the upper corner of the containment cell. At one point he had hoped that the PA system would lead outside, giving him a weak point in the cell. However, the system was set up on batteries and a Wi-Fi system. Anything to keep from allowing a weak spot in the cell, he supposed. He walked across the cell to the door and waited for the guards to get him. The only time they wanted him near the door was when they were going to take him out to see the others. He was finally getting another chance! The last time had been five months ago, and he was craving for some actual interaction with people. The two guards entered the room and moved to where he stood. He held his arms in front of him and made sure his feet were together. For the walk over to the main facility, he was to be shackled like a regular prison inmate. They finished placing the chains on him and walked him outside. Very noticeable were the turrets stationed just 20 meters away. Nicholas noticed the two Apache attack helicopters some distance above him, ready to blow him apart if he tried anything. They weren't going to let anything happen after the stunt subject Zeus pulled.

Zeus was another of Nicholas's kind, but infinitely stronger. Zeus managed to escape about four years ago, and they were damn sure it wasn't going to happen with any of the other subjects. Nicholas had been living in the same containment cell as Zeus, and was the only subject to see him escape. He certainly wasn't the only living being, though. They threw everything they had at Zeus, but nothing could stop him. He first grew his sword on his right arm and his shield on his left hand, and cut his way through the door. The missiles launched and the Gatling guns let loose a river of lead, yet Zeus's shield held up against it all. Four Apache helicopters flew in, raining hell down on him. Zeus simply angled his shield to block them as well. Tanks rolled in and unleashed a barrage of shells at him. Zeus jumped to avoid them. He jumped high enough to land on the containment cell. Nicholas stepped out to watch the whole thing. Soldiers poured in from everywhere and began shooting at Zeus. Zeus jumped even higher, almost reaching the helicopters. His sword changed into a whip, which he sent flying at one of the helicopters. It wrapped around one of the landing skids and Zeus flew up to the helicopter. The whip changed into a giant club, which Zeus used to smash through the windshield of the helicopter. He changed the club into his claws and ripped the pilot to shreds, changed the claws back to a hand, and used the helicopter's guns to bring down two of the other helicopters before the last one managed to bring down the helicopter Zeus was on. Zeus jumped from the falling helicopter and air dashed to the final helicopter. He changed his arm back into the sword and sent it smashing through the windshield and into the pilot's head. Zeus jumped from the helicopter and glided to the tanks. He changed his fists into the clubs again and fell onto one of the tanks, destroying it utterly. He then went to work on the other four. Within moments there was nothing left but carnage. The soldiers rushed to stop him, but he took off, running faster than any man. He kept gaining speed, going over rough enough terrain to go faster than the hummers they sent after him. Nothing could keep up. After a while of this he jumped up and glided away. They couldn't find him. They still hadn't found him. Nicholas didn't think they ever would.

Nicholas was lead to the main facility, a facility that was four times larger than his containment cell. The others had already been brought in. The sheer diversity of abilities still astounded him. The guards walked quickly back out the door, allowing Nicholas free reign with the others.

"Hey, Ares, what are you up to?" Nicholas ducked down and gazed up as subject Angel flew overhead.

"Just trying to stay alive, same as anyone else," he said as Angel flew to the other side of the facility for something to drink. Nicholas walked towards the concessions. His shadow started to wave to him, and he waved back. The shadow became more solid and rose up to roughly his height. The shadow gradually turned into a person and shook Nicholas's hand.

"Hey Ares, how are the experiments going?" She asked.

"I've survived everything they've thrown at me so far. How about you, Midna?" He responded, smiling.

"They're stepping it up. I don't know why, but I'm handling it pretty well."

"That's good to hear. Yeah, they have been pushing harder lately. I'm wondering what it all means. Well, I've got to see how Elfen is doing. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. She's been acting a little… different lately. You might want to be careful."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip." He walked further into the facility, looking for Elfen. She was one of the most tested, second only to him. She was also one of the most powerful subjects. She would last almost half an hour against Zeus. Nicholas wasn't sure why she opened up to him, but he did know that he cared greatly for her. It had been so long since they had last seen each other, and Nicholas was really missing her. He looked around and finally spotted Elfen sitting on the grass by herself. He headed over and sat next to her. "How are you doing, Elfen?" He inquired. She just sat there in silence. "I've been pretty good. I'm reading a new book. It's by some guy named Stephen King. It's called "It." It's pretty good, so far. It's all about some clown. Crazy stuff, actually. Have you been up to anything lately?"

"I'm… fine." He finally got a reply. She still at least trusted him.

"That's cool. Have you been reading anything good?"

"They don't give me anything anymore. They just throw people in lately." Her speech was slow, like she wasn't really there. That was the longest she had talked before, though, so Nicholas was optimistic.

"That sucks. I might try to sneak you a book if you want. Certainly wouldn't hurt to do so. I doubt they actually mind. Anything you want to—"

"Jacky. My name is Jacky." Nicholas was astonished. No one knew any of the others' names. It would take a huge amount of trust to tell another person your true name. Nicholas just sat there, his mind stuck.

"Uh, m-my name is… Nicholas." He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Hi, Nicholas, I would love a book."

"Uh, okay. Sure, I can do that." He smiled again. Elfen – Jacky, he reminded himself – was the most withdrawn person at the complex. That she would open up to anyone seemed impossible. That she would open up to him… Why? And, why did he tell her his name? What he thinking? How could he trust her? They barely knew each other. His mind raced. Jacky scooted closer to Nicholas.

"Time's up. It's time to pack it up and get back to your cells." Soldiers filed in, ready to return the subjects to their cells. Angel landed and walked over to a pair of soldiers. Midna reappeared and walked into the containment van. Jacky flashed a smile at Nicholas quickly before being led away by six guards. Hercules was given some anesthetic and loaded into his own van. Beast transformed into a mouse and was placed in a titanium ball. Assassin was shackled and led away. Avatar was locked into his own special airtight van. Serenity was placed in shackles and led to her van. Nicholas was shackled and taken back to his containment cell.

Nicholas couldn't believe the events that just took place. Jacky told him her name, her actual name! He had no idea what to do about this. It only strengthened his feelings for her, though he still couldn't figure out where the feelings were coming from. It's not like they really had a whole lot of time together. So, how did these damn feelings get into him? And did she feel the same? Everyone knew that she had suffered the worst, and no one expected her to open up to anyone. So, why did she pick him? He paced his sleeping quarters. His mind raced with the events that occurred earlier. His feelings were complete chaos. What was he supposed to do?

"Subject Ares, testing is to resume in ten minutes. Please prepare." Nicholas looked around, wondering what they would throw his way next. The door was the only way to get something or someone in, so its size was somewhat limited. Though, whatever came through that door could still be easily three or so times bigger than he was. "Subject Ares, testing will resume momentarily." Nicholas air dashed into the upper branches of a tree. Zeus could air dash twice, travelling huge distances and increasing his speed greatly. Nicholas could only air dash once, and it wasn't very far or very fast. It was enough to get three fourth's up the tree. The door slowly began opening. Nicholas changed his hands into claws, something he learned from Zeus. Growling sounded from just beyond the door. That was new; usually they just threw troops at him in increasing numbers. He kneeled on the tree branch as they let in some monstrous being. It was as big as a bear, humanoid, pink, and appeared to be blind. "Subject Ares, the test is a hunter. Testing will resume… now." The hunter started to amble around, sniffing, looking around. Nicholas found this strange, since it didn't appear to have eyes. Nicholas wondered if even his claws would get through that monster. He readied himself for the attack. Even as he crouched to leap for the kill, the hunter looked up and roared at him. This surprised him so much that he lost his footing and fell towards the ground. The hunter leaped at the spot where Nicholas would land. Nicholas concentrated and air dashed just a few feet away, narrowly avoiding the hunter's jaws. The hunter twisted and came at Nicholas again. This time Nicholas jumped to meet it. They connected, Nicholas driving his claws into the monster's torso, the hunter charging Nicholas towards the nearest wall. They smashed into the titanium wall, creating a small crater. Nicholas felt almost overwhelming pain; nothing he had been up against before had caused that kind of pain. The hunter backed up and chomped down towards Nicholas. Nicholas wrenched his claws free and narrowly avoided the jaws. He rolled behind the hunter and jumped on its back, driving his claws as far into it as he could. The hunter reared up and started to fall backwards, seeking to crush him underneath it. He pulled his claws out and rolled out just in time. As the hunter landed, Nicholas jumped on its belly and started to slash and tear at the beast's underside. The hunter thrashed around, nearly taking his head. Nicholas slammed both his claws into the hunter's neck, nearly severing the head. The hunter thrashed feebly, and finally stopped moving altogether. Nicholas just sat there, covered in its blood, wondering in mild fear what they would throw at him next. "Subject Ares, please step away from the hunter. A team is coming in to remove it from the containment cell." Nicholas got off the hunter and moved to the pool near the center of the cell. He took off his clothes and dived in. He began cleaning off as the team began removed the corpse and left a set of new clothes for him. He finished cleaning and dressed in his new clothes. He moved to his cot and lied down to begin reading again. He figured he would finish this book so that he could sneak it to Jacky. He fell asleep and dreamed of Jacky and him together again.

"Nicholas, you should wake up. You said you would get me a book. I was wondering if I could get that book now. Nicholas… Wake up…" Nicholas stirred and slowly opened his eyes. No one ever actually came into his cell to wake him up. They just used the PA system. Nicholas knew that this was clearly a dream, so he was going to make sure that he didn't wake himself up. He looked up and saw Jacky standing over him, smiling. He smiled and sat up.

"Hi, Jacky, how are you doing this fine morning?"

"I'm doing fine, but we need to hurry. They'll know soon that I escaped and am here. So, can I get that book?"

"Oh, don't go. I really like this dream. There's no need to end the dream now."

"What do you mean? Do you think this is a dream? Oh, Nicholas, that's just silly. This isn't a dream."

"What? Of course this is a dream. There's no way you escaped and got into my cell. This has to be a dream."

"This isn't a dream. I'm actually here, I actually escaped, and I actually managed to get into your cell. Are you happy to see me?" Nicholas just sat there, astounded. No one other than Zeus had ever escaped from the cell, and he had caused utter mayhem.

"I- I can't believe this. How'd you do this? What do you expect to do now?"

"I just escaped to get the book. Why? What else would I escape for?"

"I know I would escape to, you know, escape."

"Why would I want to escape? You're here. Why would I want to go somewhere else?" Nicholas's mind crashed to a halt. She was staying just to be with him? His heart swelled at the thought that she cared that much about him, yet at the same time he was scared of what they could have done to her to make her think like this. They somehow managed to convince her that she shouldn't want to leave. What did they do to her?

"Subject Ares, step away from Subject Elfen. She has escaped from her containment cell, and must be returned."

Nicholas looked around wildly. There was no way he could allow them to take her back. They wouldn't just let her get away from this. They would punish her for this. Nicholas couldn't stand the thought of what they would do to her. They punished him for Zeus escaping. They thought he had played some part in it, and though he told them over and over that he didn't, they just kept it up. It was like they enjoyed it. Nicholas was terrified by what they might do to her. He stood up quickly and looked towards the door. It was opening, and Nicholas could hear voices just beyond it.

"Subject Ares, you are being given one last chance to step away from Subject Elfen. If you do not step away from Subject Elfen you will be punished alongside Subject Elfen."

Nicholas's mind was in chaos. He didn't know what to do. If he stepped away, he would be leaving Jacky to her fate. If he stayed, they would both suffer. Then it clicked; he would escape. They would escape. He would get her out of the complex. He had to get her out of the complex. He couldn't let her get hurt. He looked to Jacky.

"You want to be with me, right?" He asked.

"Of course, that's why I'm here." She replied, giggling.

"So, if I were to leave, you would come with me, right?"

"Um, yeah, that's how it works, hun."

"Okay. It's time that we get out of here. Ready?"

"Sure. Let's do it." The pair turned towards the door. They were going to escape, and they weren't going to let anyone stand in their way.

Nicholas was preparing for the soldiers to come pouring in. What they sent in sent chills running down his spine. Six hunters stalked into the cell, every one of them hungry and looking for food. They almost immediately noticed the two subjects and didn't even bother stalking the two of them. They just bounded right after the two. Nicholas changed his hands into claws, ready for the fight of his life. He barely defeated one hunter; taking out six at once seemed impossible. He couldn't just leave Jacky, though. He had to protect her.

He pushed Jacky to one side and leaped to meet the lead hunter. They collided head on; Nicholas dug his claws into the hunter's back while the hunter carried him a short distance. He finally managed to lodge one claw into the hunter's neck, nearly decapitating it. The dead monster rolled to a stop, dragging Nicholas along with it. Nicholas pushed the corpse off, ready to face the next hunter. What he saw chilled his blood. The other hunters had ignored him completely, focusing on Jacky, who cowered in terror. Nicholas could barely handle one; there was no way she stood a chance against five at once. She had never shown her abilities before, and he didn't even know if those bastards hadn't taken her abilities from her. He rushed to help her, and was blown back by bloody chunks of hunter. When the hunters had pounced on Jacky, something caused the hunters to be cut in pieces and thrown in all directions, including right into Nicholas, knocking him down. He just lied there, going over what had just happened. He had no idea what caused any of it. Before he could even think about what had just occurred, something wrapped around his chest and lifted him to his feet. He felt something around him, but there wasn't anything there. Jacky walked over to him with a look of worry on her face.

"Um, are you okay, Nicholas? I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. They were coming at me, and that one attacked you, and I was so worried about you."

"You were worried about me? I didn't even know if you still had powers. I had no idea what they had done to you. I figured I would have to deal with all six myself. What on earth happened? What did you do?"

"Um, I have these things called vectors. They're like invisible arms with hands at the end of them. I've got six of them. Um, you're not, you know, going to run off on me, are you? I know I'm a freak…"

"Not at all, Jacky. Hell, you can see what my ability is. And it's not exactly pleasant. Jacky, I… I think I lo-"

An explosion interrupted Nicholas as dozens of men poured into the containment cell. They completely surrounded the pair, aiming a variety of weapons at Nicholas and Jacky. Nicholas couldn't stand this anymore. It seemed like there was no end. He couldn't believe that this was happening. They had just dealt with impossible odds, and now this. He had had enough. He was just so damn angry. He couldn't handle it anymore. He heard someone yelling and realized it was him. He was shouting at the top of his lungs. He felt something inside him, something moving inside him. What was it? What was inside him? Whatever it was, he couldn't hold it in. Cords of something black and blood red tore out of his body. Each cord shot into a different soldier, tearing through clothing, flesh, and bone. Each body was then pulled to Nicholas and started breaking down. Nicholas finally found out what it was to consume, and it was the strangest feeling. He felt so much stronger, and memories not his own flashed through his mind. He finally knew what Zeus had gone through. He finally knew how Zeus had become so powerful. He finally knew what it was to consume, and it scared him. It scared him because, as strange as it felt, he liked it…

"Um, Nicholas, don't you think we should be getting out of here?" Jacky brought Nicholas out of his thoughts and back to the present. He looked around at the devastation. He had caused so much of it. He had no idea that he was capable of this. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Yeah, we need to be leaving. Let's go." They headed for the door, hoping that they were through the worst. Nicholas stopped just before leaving the cell. "What about the turrets?" He asked.

"What about them? I took care of them when I came over. Come on, hun, I'm not about to just leave something that dangerous to deal with later." She replied, giving him a look of confusion.

"Oh, okay. Then we should be getting out now." They walked out of the cell; Nicholas half expected the turrets to hail death down on them. They didn't, though, and the two started for the exit. "Wait, Jacky, what about the others? Should we save them too?"

"Sure. I don't see why not. How do we do it?"

"Can you take care of the turrets for the containment cells?"

"Sure."

"Okay. Then I'll be able to open the doors."

"Okay! I'm ready when you are." They headed for the other containment cells.

Jacky ran for the turrets while Nicholas took off for the door. His claws ripped through the door with ease, after which he tore the door from the hinges, tossing it to the ground nearby. He headed inside.

"Hey, is anyone there?" He called out to what appeared to be a cell similar to his own.

"Ares, is that you?" sounded Hercules.

"Yeah, we're getting out of here. You want to come?"

"Hell yeah I do! Let's get the hell out!" The two of them headed out to meet with Jacky. When they reached her, she saw Hercules and immediately seemed to withdraw into herself again. Nicholas knew they couldn't afford this kind of behavior if they were going to escape.

"Hey, Hercules, I need to talk to Jacky. You go scout ahead, get a feel for the complex." He turned to Jacky and waited until Hercules was out of earshot. "Jacky, what's wrong? You just completely clammed up. I need you to disable the turrets. What's going on?"

"Um, it's… It's nothing. I'm fine. I'll go disable the other turrets. I'll meet you at the last cell, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I'll meet you there." They split up and Nicholas rushed for the next containment cell. The complex had finally realized the severity of the situation, and soldiers were pouring into the area just like with Zeus. The difference was that no one escaping now could possibly compare to Zeus, whereas the soldiers were just as plentiful as they were then. Nicholas smashed through a squad, slashing and tearing the men with his claws as he ran by. He managed to reach the next cell without any more trouble, and went to work destroying it. As he finally tore through the last hinge and pushed the door over, a gust of wind blew past him. The air seemed to condense, until a human figure was evident. Quickly the figure became more solid, becoming Avatar.

"Hey, Zeus, what's going on? Are we escaping? Cause, I would definitely be cool with that."

"Yeah, we're escaping. Meet up with Hercules. I told him to go scout the area out. You go with him, and also see if the two of you can free some of the other subjects too. Once you're done doing that meet me at the exit. We'll see what we can do from there."

"I got it. Good luck, Ares." Avatar returned to his air form and was gone in an instant. Nicholas turned to head for the next cell and came face to face with a dozen men. Nicholas cursed softly and jumped at them, ready to deal as much damage as possible. They opened fire, with surprising accuracy. Bullets ripped through his shoulder, thighs, and chest. The pain was nearly unbearable, but then he was among them, ripping bodies apart, slicing limbs, slashing through torsos. The air filled with screams and bullets, then with blood and gore. The dozen men went down in moments, each man missing at least one limb, several decapitated. Nicholas stood there for a moment, catching his breath, allowing his body to cope with the pain. His entire body was riddled with bullet holes, yet he wasn't truly weakened by it. His body was already healing, and the soldiers he just killed sped the process greatly, once he consumed them. The memories flashed through his mind once again before he willed them to stop. Once most of the wounds were healed he ran to the next cell. The door was already open, and gunshots could be heard from inside. Nicholas rushed inside to see a shadow flitting between the guards. Midna was clearly handling herself well. Nicholas rushed forward to join in the fight. He sliced one soldier's arm off, another's leg, and slashed another in half before the others realized he was even there. Midna helped distract them as Nicholas tore through their ranks, cutting and cleaving, until only he stood, covered in the soldiers' gore. Midna rose from his shadow and retook human form.

"Hey, Nicholas, you're looking kind of beat up, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. More soldiers are arriving, and I've had a few run-ins."

"That sucks. Well, what's the plan? Are we escaping?"

"Yeah, we're escaping. Find Hercules and Avatar. They're helping free the others, and then we're all going to meet at the exit."

"Okay. I'll see you there, then." She waved cheerily once, took to her shadow form, and vanished. Nicholas headed back outside. He heard gunfire and knew that the others were certainly doing their job. By the looks of it, he only had one more cell. The others had already been opened. He headed for the last containment cell. The turrets had all been either shut down or destroyed, so Jacky was clearly doing her job. He just hoped that she was okay. As he reached the cell, another squad and a hummer pulled up. Nicholas cursed again and took off sprinting for the hummer. The gunner on the back of the hummer let loose with a hail of bullets, some piercing Nicholas. He had picked up enough momentum to punch into the hummer, flipping it onto its side. The other men were firing into Nicholas as he then ripped into them. A bullet punched into his side as he cut another man in two, the man's blood gushing over Nicholas. Nicholas tore apart the others with relative ease, and then consumed them all. The power he felt as he consumed was a rush like nothing he had experienced before. It was incredible. He looked to the door to see it begin twisting into scrap metal. It flew outward, narrowly missing Nicholas. Serenity floated through the door and made her way to him.

"Hello, Ares. We are to escape, then?"

"Uh, yeah, pretty much. I think you're the last person to escape from the cells, so now we all need to head for the main exit."

"Hey, Ares, there's a problem!" Angel flew down and landed near Nicholas and Serenity.

"What do you mean, Angel?" Nicholas inquired.

"The main exit is covered in soldiers and tanks. There's no way we can go through that."

"Okay, head for the docks instead. I'm going to find Ja— Elfen. I'll meet you at the docks."

"Okay. See you there." Angel and Serenity headed for the docks together. Nicholas was wondering where to find Jacky when he spotted her running towards him from one of the turret installations. He rushed to meet her.

"Jacky, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, silly. It's going to take more than what they had to take me down."

"Okay. That's good. Okay, so we need to head for the docks."

"Are… Are the others going to be there?"

"Well, yeah. We're going to escape. That was the whole point of releasing them."

"Oh… Okay…"

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Let's go." The two headed for the docks together, Nicholas watching for soldiers, Jacky in seemingly deep thought. They reached the docks without trouble and found the others already on a boat ready to go. Nicholas jumped onto the boat and turned to help Jacky. She hesitated for a moment before stepping into Nicholas. Nicholas helped her to a seat and turned to Beast.

"Let's move, Beast. Get this thing moving."

"I'm on it." The boat roared to life and moved out from the docks. Other boats and a few helicopters appeared.

Nicholas saw them and shouted to Serenity and Avatar, "Take those things out!" They nodded and moved to the back of the boat. Beast pushed the boat to its limit, getting as much speed from it as possible. Avatar pulled water spheres from the ocean around them and hurled them at the approaching vehicles while Serenity pulsed balls of her psychic energy at them. One of Avatar's water spheres hit a steersman and knocked him into the river. The others on the boat frantically sought to regain control to no avail; the boat crashed into another, causing both to overturn. Three more boats came roaring up in their place. Avatar sent an ice sphere at a helicopter, hitting the rear rotor. The helicopter spun erratically before falling to the ocean. The other two helicopters got close enough to open fire, unleashing bullets and missiles. Beast swerved the boat, avoiding the attacks as best he could. Serenity blasted a beam of energy at one of the helicopters, blowing the cabin to pieces. The wreckage fell to the ocean, hitting two pursuing boats. The final helicopter released another missile, which flew directly at the boat. Both Serenity and Avatar missed it, and everyone cowered from the incoming missile. When it reached 15 meters it seemed to have gotten cut in half, with both pieces falling to the ocean. Nicholas looked at Jacky, who was standing there, a look of determination on her face. She realized that everyone was looking at her and immediately sat down, losing herself to her thoughts once more. Avatar and Serenity both sent out projectiles to take out the final helicopter. With the air support taken out, the pursuing boats fell back, not wanting to be next. It looked like the subjects had actually managed to escape.

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Be sure to let me know what you think. Again, any and all reviews are appreciated.


	2. The Hunt

Once again, I don't own anything in this story. Though I desperately wish I did. This chapter's not quite as long, but I hope you enjoy.

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The Oblivion Project

The Hunt

"Um, does anyone know where we're supposed to be going? Cause, I don't, and this thing doesn't run on dreams and hopes." Beast asked to no one in particular. Nicholas was just as lost. No one had ever thought about where to go to escape; no one had really ever thought about escaping. It just didn't seem possible.

"Well, um, do we know where we are at all?" Nicholas asked. Everyone shook their heads. Nicholas sighed. "Well, can any of you figure out where we are?"

"Uh, maybe…? I can certainly try." Avatar hesitantly offered.

"Yeah, okay. We just need to know where land is. You think you could do that?"

"I will see what I can do." Avatar phased into his air form and blew away into the evening air. Beast slowed the boat down and shut it down. They could only wait until Avatar got back from his search for the coast.

As the group waited, Nicholas made his way to Jacky. "Uh, Elfen, do you mind if I sit next to you?" he asked hesitantly. There was no need, though. Jacky smiled and patted the seat next to her. He sat down and turned towards her. "So, uh, are you doing okay?"

"Right now? Yeah, I'm okay. This boat's a bit small, though. I really want to get out of here."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. How about you get some rest? Avatar could be out there for a while."

"Um, okay. I can do that. Do you mind if I lean against you?"

"Not at all." She settled into her seat and leaned against him. She closed her eyes and snuggled up against him. He put his arm around her, holding her close. He knew that things were moving fast, but he just couldn't help himself. He looked at her and smiled. She was so peaceful when she slept. He looked up and realized that everyone was looking at the two of them. He just shrugged. They returned to their thoughts. Nicholas wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but he did know that they would face it together.

They ended up waiting throughout the night, but Avatar eventually returned, exhausted from his travels.

"So, did you find the coast?" Nicholas asked after Avatar had finally caught his breath.

"Yeah. It's not too far away. Sorry it took so long. I ended up doing circles around the boat. It took all night, but I finally figured it out. We need to head left of the direction we're already heading. We go that way, and we'll end up at some beach. The nearby town seems kind of small compared to the complex, so there won't be a bunch of people to spot us."

"The complex was huge. It's not much of a comparison."

"Yeah, well, that was the best I could describe it."

"That's fine. Well, I guess we know what to do now. Start it up and take us out, Beast." Beast moved to the driver's seat and started the boat back up, turned the boat to the left, and the group set out. They finally had a destination, and it seemed like they finally had a sense of direction.

After an hour or so they finally reached the beach Avatar was talking about. Nicholas gently shook Jacky awake. She looked around tiredly, stretched, and stood up reluctantly. Nicholas's heart swelled at the sight of her. She was so damn adorable. He couldn't help his feelings become stronger towards her. He jumped down and helped her off the boat. The rest of the group joined them on the beach and they headed inland, finally reaching a road. It must have been a pretty busy area, because the sidewalks were filled with people and the road was packed with vehicles.

"Avatar, I thought you said this city wasn't very big." Nicholas looked at Avatar questioningly.

"It wasn't this busy when I came." Avatar replied.

"Well, I'm thinking that we might be a little exposed here. Hell, Hercules is freaking huge; he himself is going to attract a little attention. We need to get somewhere a bit more secluded." Nicholas looked around for somewhere they might be able to hide out.

"What about the dock? We could hide out underneath. What about that?" Serenity offered.

"I have nothing better to suggest. Yeah, we'll hide out there. Let's go, guys." They headed for the docks, doing their best to look like everyone else. It was made difficult by the fact that Hercules was around seven feet tall and 250 pounds of solid muscle. He stood out a bit. But they managed to reach the dock without problems. They hunkered down for the night, ready to face tomorrow.

"Um, Ares, we have a problem." Nicholas woke up to Hercules shaking him.

"What's the problem?"

"The… What's he called? Right, the police officer claims that sleeping under the dock isn't allowed."

"Okay. I'll talk to him." Nicholas walked over to the man dressed in black, "Can I help you?" He inquired.

"It's illegal loiter under the dock. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to move to another area."

"I understand. We'll move immediately. I'm sorry for this. We'll be on our way immediately."

"Okay. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Of course. Thank you for informing us of our mistake." The officer walked off. Nicholas sighed, "Avatar, you weren't really going to use those sand spheres, were you?"

"Well, if he tried making it into a big deal, then, yeah. Of course I was going to. Why wouldn't I?"

"Cause that would just cause more trouble than anything else. He was an enforcer of this area."

"Yeah, I suppose."

Nicholas sighed and shook his head, "Come on, guys. We need to find somewhere else. Perhaps we should head out of town. You know, to leave the authority's reach. It would make sense that their hold only includes the city, right?" Everyone else nodded in agreement. With that decided, they headed for the city limits.

After they had headed into the woods surrounding the city for about ten minutes they came across a clearing with a wooden table with a bench attached to two of the sides. There was also a pit that looked like a fire had been started in it. Nicholas motioned for them to enter the clearing.

"Beast, Avatar, do some scouting. I want to know where the closest people are. Hercules, you and I should get to work making some kind of shelter. The rest of you should rest up." Beast transformed into one of the dogs he had seen earlier, while Avatar phased into his air form again and the two headed out. Angel, Serenity, and Midna sat at the strange table. Nicholas and Hercules headed into the woods a small distance, looking for anything to build a shelter out of.

"Hey, Ares, over here; I think this tree has what we need to make a good shelter out of." Hercules called out from a small distance away. Nicholas worked his way to Hercules and took a look at the tree.

"Um, Hercules, don't you think that it's a little big?"

"Well, yeah, obviously; but it's what we need."

"Yeah, but how do you plan on breaking it down and using it in the clearing?"

"You know, I hadn't really thought that through."

"Bravo. Alright, well, I think we'll have to find another tree." The two started walking away when they heard a sharp crack from directly behind them. They spun around to see that the tree had been snapped in half and now was floating vertically all by itself. Nicholas looked around and saw Jacky standing there with a look of concentration on her face.

"Um, good job, Elfen. I suppose that would work too," he said walking over to her, "Do you think that you can carry it back to camp?"

"Uh, it's a little heavy. Do you think that I could get some help with this?" She replied. Hercules moved into a position a little ways behind her and directly underneath the tree.

"Let it drop, Elfen. I'll catch it." He called out. She let the top part fall, and Nicholas watched apprehensively as it free fell towards Hercules. Luckily, Hercules proved as strong as ever and caught the upper part of the tree with ease. The three of them walked back to camp. Back at camp they went to work. Nicholas would cut pieces from the tree, Hercules would carry them to their position, and Jacky would use her vectors to make them stay while Hercules placed everything in position. Eventually a floor was in place, then a wall, another wall leaning into the first wall, a back wall, with an open area for them to enter. It wasn't much, but it was enough to hold the group for at least the night. Nicholas looked at the setting sun. Building the shelter had taken most of the day, yet Beast and Avatar hadn't returned from scouting. At the most they should have been gone for an hour; the city was only ten minutes away. Where were they? Gunshots sounded from somewhere in the distance, further into the woods. Everyone immediately looked in that direction. It wasn't automatic gunfire, so it couldn't have been the soldiers from the complex. Yet, Nicholas had a bad feeling about this. He stood up and turned to the group.

"Angel, I want to know who is shooting and who's getting shot at. Go fly around the area, and try to stay out of sight. Midna, you go too. Stay in the shadows; don't try to play hero. If Avatar and Beast are in trouble, get back here immediately and warn us. Serenity, Hercules, Elfen, we're going to have to wait. Hopefully those shots were aimed at wild animals. If not, we may have some serious trouble on our hands. Try to rest a bit, so that if we so have trouble, we can deal with it." Angel took off, heading for the area that the gunshots came from. Midna flitted into the shadows and disappeared. The remaining members began resting as best they could, waiting for the eventuality that they would be needed.

Ten minutes had passed when Midna flitted back into the clearing, "Avatar and Beast are under attack. Angel is helping them out. I'm going back to help out, but we're not going to be enough."

"Who's attacking them?" Nicholas demanded.

"Some men. They don't look military. Avatar and Beast are holding them off while running, but they didn't want to lead the men back here. These guys may not be military, but they certainly know how to hunt. We need help."

"Got it. We're on our way. Go back and help them out," Nicholas turned to the others, "Serenity, Elfen, you two stay here. Hercules and I will go help them out. We're going to see if we can't end this without bloodshed." Nicholas and Hercules headed out in the direction Midna flitted. They barreled through the woods, hoping to reach the others before things got too out of hand.

A little while later they burst into the fight. Beast had turned into a wolf, while Avatar was phasing between his forms continuously. Angel would dive at the men, distracting them, then gain altitude again. Midna was flitting between the growing shadows, causing general mayhem. Hercules ran forward, dashing between trees. Nicholas jumped and air dashed onto a tree branch, and then looked at the men. They seemed to be mostly harmless, using small arms and single fire weapons. They certainly weren't a concern. Nicholas was amazed that Avatar and Beast had difficulty getting away from them. How could that be? Beast could turn into any living being that he had touched, and Avatar could turn into air. How could anyone not professional keep up with them? Avatar wouldn't even leave a trail to follow! Nicholas looked for whoever might have been the leader. Hercules had gotten into the fight, throwing small boulders at the men. Nicholas finally spotted the man who appeared to be giving out the orders and jumped for him. He had to air dash, but he made it to the man without even touching the ground. He barreled into the man, knocking him from his feet. The man pulled a knife the size of a small dagger and attempted to plunge it into Nicholas's side. Nicholas grabbed the arm holding the knife and slammed it to the ground. His other hand flew to the man's neck and Nicholas began to squeeze.

"Order your men to stand down, or all of you will die." Nicholas demanded, loosening his grip on the man's neck.

He coughed and sputtered, "Guys, stop, they're a bit too much for us." The others stopped firing on the group. Nicholas let go of the man and walked back to the group.

"Why'd you attack us?" Nicholas asked.

"We got a tip today from some guy saying that there were some people who had escaped from Carver Island. Everyone knows that the people there are convicts that are experimented on. We figured that if you could turn into stuff, you had to be the guys from Carver Island. We didn't think there would be so many of you."

"We have never heard of Carver Island, and we certainly are not convicts. Who called you?"

"I don't know. It was an anonymous tip. We just took his word. The guys from Carver Island are supposed to be horrible people and extremely dangerous. We figured that the 12 of us could handle a few freaks from a prison island. Turns out we were wrong. And you guys don't seem to be horrible. You could have massacred us, yet you didn't. Thanks for that."

"Of course. Again, we have never heard of Carver Island, and we're not convicts."

"Okay. Well, if you're ever in town, look up John Greer. That would be me, and I would love to repay you for your kindness."

"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the offer."

"Yep. Come on, guys. We're heading home." The men headed back for the town. The group headed back for camp.

"Ares, do you think that they called those men? And if so, why?" Midna asked.

"Who else knew about our escape? It has to be them. I can't figure out why, though. Why not just send their soldiers? It doesn't make sense." He answered.

"Perhaps they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. They did also lie about us, so it could be a cover up." Angel offered.

"True. Hey, Midna, go check on the camp. Only Serenity and Elfen are there to guard it, and I don't want anything happening to them while we're gone." Midna nodded and flitted into the shadows again. The rest of the group continued heading back to camp. The fight had tired the group out, and they were taking their time getting back. They were all well prepared for a decent night's sleep.

"The men we called haven't called back. Perhaps the subjects killed them."

"No. Subject Ares isn't the one to kill without reason. I believe he talked them out of it. He can be quite persuasive."

"Yes, sir. Is it decided then that the locals are not capable of dealing with the subjects?

"Yes. And yet, we would need all our soldiers to bring the subjects back. We need to stay away from the actual authorities, and the government. So, we can't use our standard procedures."

"What are you suggesting, sir?"

"It's time to activate Project Hunter. Prepare the subjects."

"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yes. They are small in number, and that's our primary prerogative. Anything too large and we'll attract attention. Besides, neither project can actually be traced to us. We simply point the subjects of Project Hunter towards the subjects of Project Oblivion, and we're out of the picture."

"But collateral has the potential of being huge. Surely that's cause for concern?"

"No. The subjects of Project Oblivion must be stopped. Project Hunter is drastic, but necessary. Prep the subjects."

"Man, I can't wait to lie down. Getting some rest sounds very nice right now." Beast yawned.

"Yeah, I'm sure it does. Just remember, guys, if they are actually still trying to get us, we need to stay on our guard. We know what they're capable of." Nicholas warned.

"Yeah, yeah, we know. Geez, you would think that we hadn't just convinced an entire group of people to not kill us. You're such a downer, Ares; always so ready to beat people to death." Avatar complained.

"Hey, at least I'm looking out for you guys. If it were left to you, we wouldn't have escaped, and we would all be going through all those experiments and tests they keep running." Everyone murmured their agreement. They really were grateful for what Nicholas had done.

"Well, I'm bushed. I can't wait to get some sleep. The clearing's right up there. Oh, this is going to be nice." Avatar said, walking a bit faster. The group entered the clearing and gasped as Jacky was flung into a tree just to their right. A monstrous being roared, and then charged her motionless form. Nicholas let loose a feral growl and jumped towards the thing. Using an air dash he smashed into the being, the force knocking it sideways. Nicholas felt like he had hit a small building. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural. It looked like a man, but its arms were as big as Nicholas was, its chest bulging with muscle, its legs almost the width and length of Nicholas. It was huge, and it was pissed. Nicholas flung himself to his left to avoid the monster charging at him. Hercules leaped to meet the thing, and they collided. The sound was like a small explosion, and the two were soon grappling, trying to overpower the other. Gunfire erupted from across the clearing, and Nicholas saw Angel desperately trying to evade the bullets a man was unleashing. Nicholas jumped to help him, but was hit by what seemed like a small missile. He was knocked from his feet, and grunting, stood back up to see what had attacked him. It was a robot, covered in dark grey metal. He smirked; there was no way a tin can was going to be able to beat him. He jumped, changed his hands into his claws, and air dashed to the robot. He slashed at the machine's chest and… barely made a scratch. Nicholas looked at the machine in confusion. The only thing that had ever stopped his claws before was three feet of titanium. How could this thing stop him? It laughed and smashed a fist into his face, hurling him back. He was more confused than hurt, though the pain certainly registered. How did it laugh? Could robots laugh? He had no idea what was going on. He stood up slowly, looking around. Avatar had phased into his rock form, while Beast was once again a wolf. Both were fighting what appeared to be a dinosaur. The strange thing was that the dinosaur would change to metal every so often, to deflect whatever Avatar sent at it. Midna and Serenity seemed to be hallucinating, fighting things that weren't there, but both were slowly making their way towards a little girl who simply stood there. Nicholas looked in wonder. The group outnumbered the newcomers two to one, yet the group was being soundly beaten. Jacky was still lying next to the tree and Hercules seemed to be at his full strength, yet he was still being pushed back. Nicholas looked back at the machine approaching him. He certainly appeared to be up against something that he couldn't handle. He stretched a bit, preparing to do what he could. The group may have been outclassed, but they weren't out of the fight yet.

Nicholas launched himself at the machine, knocking it back a few steps. He kept pushing, hoping that he could keep the advantage. That hope was short lived, however, and the robot was soon pushing back, using a combination of missiles and some energy beam. It certainly hurt, and Nicholas was soon pushed back himself. The dinosaur had ripped one of Avatar's block arms off, and Avatar was far too weary to create a new one, so he continued fighting one armed. Beast was limping from a gash on his front right leg. The little girl was still keeping Serenity and Midna busy, while the weapons man seemed to be taking potshots at everyone, making the fight all that much harder. Angel had been hit, and was now hiding in a tree, waiting for his chance to try again against the gunman. Hercules was bruised pretty much everywhere; the monstrous man kept pummeling him nonstop. Nicholas had so many things wrong with him that he wasn't sure if even he could actually survive it. There was no way the group could stand against the newcomers for very long.

The machine launched another salvo of missiles, of which Nicholas managed to dodge three, getting hit by the fourth, knocking him back a few feet. He struggled to his feet. He had managed to actually dent the chest, and he was now focusing on the arms; take those out, and the weapons would be useless. He just hoped that he could take them out. He ran at the machine, evading the bullets sprayed from a gun attached to the left forearm and clawed at the arm shooting at him. The arm was still working, but severely damaged. Nicholas saw a bit of hope; if he could disarm the machine, he could help the others. The other hand came up and blasted him ten feet back, ruining his thoughts. He sat up wearily. The group was near its end. He was near his end. The machine pointed both hands at him, preparing to unleash a final barrage of missiles, bullets, and energy. Just as it was about to fire, both arms dented severely, and the machine was knocked from its feet. Nicholas looked around and saw Jacky standing there, a wild look on her face. The monster taking on Hercules threw him into the shelter, demolishing it, and charged her. She turned to meet him, and Nicholas saw the same dents appearing in the monster's flesh; however, it didn't have the same effect on him. He simply kept charging. Nicholas felt a surge of adrenaline and leaped to Jacky's side. He then rammed into the thing, getting carried with it. He slashed his claws into it, causing deep wounds. The monster bellowed out, grabbed Nicholas and threw him into the air. Jacky looked at him with worry for a moment before being distracted again by the man attacking her. Nicholas landed heavily and stayed down for a moment. He watched as the man seemed to evade something in the air; Nicholas couldn't see what, but was surprised at the man's agility. No man that size should be able to move like that. Nicholas struggled to his feet, ready to help out. As he looked up, he saw the robot standing over him, once again ready to fire. No one would be able to help him now. He was done.

A form seemed to pile drive directly into the machine, smashing it to the ground. Nicholas watched in amazement as Zeus used his clubs to work away at the robot, creating huge dents wherever he hit. The machine finally succumbed and fell to the ground, staying down. Zeus then changed his clubs into his sword, and charged the giant man nearing Jacky. Nicholas staggered to his feet and lurched to help, but it wasn't necessary. Zeus cut into one arm, punching to the bone. The man cried out and threw his other fist towards Zeus. Zeus changed his free hand into some kind of muscled arm. Whatever it was, it stopped the giant's arm with ease. Zeus freed his sword and hacked at the giant's torso, cutting bloody ribbons. Eventually the giant had enough and escaped into the woods. Zeus went to help Serenity and Midna, but stopped. He crouched, and then let loose some huge tentacle from his chest. It flew towards the little girl, nearly hitting her. She vanished at the last moment. Zeus faced the gunman. The gunman pulled out two pistols and let loose. He was deadly accurate, and hit Zeus with every bullet. The guns must have been of great power, because they kept knocking Zeus back. Zeus created his shield and rushed the gunman. The gunman dashed away into the woods, and Zeus focused on the dinosaur. The dinosaur realized it was alone, and began to change. It grew wings and took off after the rest of the newcomers. Zeus watched it fly away, and looked back at the group. They were all weak with exhaustion and barely alive from the beating they had taken.

He smirked and turned towards Nicholas, "Hey, Ares, it's been a while."


End file.
